Pity the Living
by VioletIsabelleLovett
Summary: Oz, Decker, Liltith and Kahn are the only survivors of the infection outbreak at the Atlas facility. Together, an IT worker, a security guard, a research executive, and a janitor with a foggy past will need to work together in order to survive. It's them against the world.
1. Prologue

**E**

 **Oz** was the first to see signs of the infection break out over Atlas.

It was a wonder to him how there were fluids splattered on the _ceiling_ , something he didn't even think was possible, even for the likes of Atlas. He was used to cleaning the floors, the windows, and even the walls in some cases, but the _ceiling? Really?_ He stood, groaning that his night would probably be longer than what he had anticipated.

He was used to seeing the fluids and chemicals of the bio-weaponry lab, which is where he was stationed for maintenance. It always reeked something awful, and he always had to wear special suiting and face masks in order to even step foot inside. B Holding, however, was always left locked after six o'clock. No one ever told him to clean that room, and it was never open or available for him to clean anyway. As far as Oz could tell, that meant less work and more pay for him.

But the night that everything went to hell was the one night that it was left unlocked.

Oz figured he might as well give it a look. No one ever told him anything, and for all he knew, this was the one night he'd be allowed inside.

So, he peered inside, immediately taken aback by the rancid odor that was emanating from the hallway. He was used to the smell of chemicals and burning materials, but he had never smelled anything like that before. It smelled like something _died._

He noticed the unmistakable red-brown hue of blood on the walls next. Oz blinked, a feeling of uneasiness creeping into his gut. Something was wrong, here. Something was _very_ wrong. That was blood he was seeing on the walls, and the very sight made his stomach turn. What the hell was going on?

A moment later, he heard it; the ungodly shriek coming from the end of the hallway, echoing off the walls like the screams of a madman. He whirled around and saw what appeared to be a humanoid monster, it's eyes bright and luminous, half-lurching, half-running down the hallway and straight for Oz.

 **Kahn** didn't hear about the infection until almost thirty minutes later after Oz was attacked. He had received a phone call that night, someone's panicked voice shrieking into the receiver, saying there was monsters in the testing labs and that they were making their way up to the first floor. The woman sounded like she was crying.

Numb, Kahn hung up before she could say another word. His hands shook. As head executor of Atlas's research facility, he knew he would soon be faced with questions to which he had no answers for. Atlas was under attack.

He picked up the phone again, and began to dial.

"This is Kahn," he said, his voice steady as he spoke into the phone. "I need the full security unit to initiate Evacuation Plan C. Now."

 **Jim Decker** had received the second call from the head of security when the outbreak hit. On his desk were several mugs of coffee, scattered papers (several of which contained his psychiatric profile upon applying to be an Atlas field agent), and a notebook that contained his more private writings. Decker had enjoyed keeping a journal, if a crude one at that. It helped him keep his thoughts in order.

His phone rang several moments later. His head advisor spoke quickly, clear panic in his voice. Decker struggled to make out what he was saying.

" _We need evacuation_ now. _Get everyone out immediately. Call in every unit we have._ "

"What the hell is going on?!" Decker demanded. But the line was already dead.

Decker wasted no time. He leapt to his feet, adrenaline in his veins and began sounding the alarms.

 _"Everyone out!"_ he yelled. Grabbing his weaponry, Decker ran out into the hallway and saw people shrieking and screaming, tripping over one another in a mad attempt to reach the exit doors. Decker froze, gun in hand, frantically scanning the crowd for any sign of what was going on. He yelled at them to find the exit, wishing he knew what it was they were running _from._ As they managed to clear the hallway, Decker ran to assist a smaller group of people who had fallen behind, rounding the corner in a panic.

Decker was immediately hit with a rancid, odorous stench that left him gagging, causing him to nearly drop the pistol in his hand. His eyes grew blurry as the smell burned his eyes, but before he could react, he watched as two _things_ lunged around the corner and attack the remaining people. Decker had never seen anything like it before. The things, he knew, were not _human._

Not even close.

Decker fired, once, twice, and then again, but it was no use. As the creatures collapsed onto the ground, he saw that the people were already dead, their throats torn open in a gruesome display. Decker ran, and he didn't look back as several dozen more of the creatures rounded the corner and came right for him.

 **Lilth Swann** was forced to evacuate with the rest of IT when the alarms sounded. Much like everyone else, nobody knew what was going on until they reached the hallway and were mobbed by shrieking, sprinting, panicking employees. She had been one of few that had grabbed a gun before evacuating. Although she was only an IT worker, everyone who worked for Atlas was required to take basic weapons training, even the janitorial staff. She was no expert in weapons handling, but even so, she felt better knowing she was armed.

As they made their way out to the hallway, panic began to ensue throughout the other departments as they made a mad dash for the exit. Something was coming for them, but Lilth couldn't see above the crowd, and twice was nearly trampled. So she ran, a rising fear in her gut as a rancid, rotting odor assaulted her nose and eyes. People were coughing and gagging, causing them to fall behind. Caught in the crowd, she tripped and fell, landing face-first onto the marble ground, tasting blood. She couldn't see, couldn't _move._ As the crowd made its way frantically towards the exit, she dragged herself to her feet, feeling a hand on her wrist yank her into a standing position. Some security guard, young and scared-looking, was yelling at her to run or she would die. Behind them, she heard inhuman shrieking and growling as the odor grew stronger. _Something was coming for them._

She didn't look back. Together, they ran, the man's hand gripping deathly tight onto her wrist. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, that he had a job to do, but the shrieks of the _things_ behind them drowned out anything she wanted to say.

Outside, people were dropping like flies. The things that were causing the emergency had flooded the outside area, slaughtering people left and right. Lilith watched in utter horror as men and women were tackled onto the ground, their throats ripped apart. Some who had weapons tried to fight back. Others made a mad dash for the helicopter landing area. Off in the distance, a rescue Warbird was making its way to the facility. Lilth fired rapidly, dropping almost a dozen of the creatures as they came her way. The guard beside her kicked over one, and plunged his knife into the skull of another.

 _Decker,_ she thought wildly. In her state of panic, his nametag seemed to shine like a beacon on his uniform. _His name is Decker._

" _Behind you!"_ Lilth screamed. The security guard named Decker whirled around and shot a creature right in the skull, a long scratch ripping the arm of his uniform.

"We need to go."

The Warbird was landing. But what Lilith witnessed next, she would have sworn wasn't real.

The creatures turned away from attacking the Atlas employees, and in a mad rush, ran straight for the landing chopper. They jumped and leapt, crawling over each other as they swarmed the Warbird before it could even land. Lilith watched as it tried to ascend again, managing to gain altitude again, before lurching to one side as the creatures invaded the cockpit. All at once, it crashed in a roar of thunder, sending Lilith flying off her feet. She felt a scorching heat across her skin as something exploded in her ears, before her vision flickered to black.


	2. Beginnings

**Oz** soon realized that nobody would be coming to help them.

The Warbird, now crashed in a flaming wreck on the ground, had been the emergency evacuation that Atlas had needed. Now, as he fought and kicked the remaining creatures off of him, he saw that the rest of the Atlas employees were either dead or dying, left to be devoured by the creatures that were now almost entirely ignoring Oz for more the more interesting matters. Some crawled into the cockpit, tearing apart what was left of the dead or dying pilot. Some finished off those struggling on the ground, much to Oz's revulsion. He found only a handful of other survivors were left; himself, Kahn, the security guard who looked to be no older than twenty, and the woman the guard was protecting, now dragging herself to her feet.

Thankfully, there weren't very many of the creatures left. The fire from the destroyed Warbird was attracting the creatures like flies. They stumbled and crawled into the fire, burning themselves alive without a second thought. Oz, the guard, and Kahn finished the rest of them off, leaving the fire to take care of the rest.

As the woman climbed to her feet, and eerie silence descended upon the outside. Occasionally, the scream of a creature would pierce the silence, and one of them would take down another that happened to stumble towards them from whatever pit of hell it had dragged itself out of. For what seemed like a very long time, none of them uttered a single word, still running off of pure adrenaline, reactive to every miniscule sound that pierced the silence of the outside world.

Every bird sound was a threat. Every brush of gentle wind was enough to send their hearts racing, every crunch of pebbles and dirt beneath their feet making them turn with fright.

"Guess that takes care of that," Oz said finally, putting his gun back into his belt with a huff. He looked at the three survivors, eyebrows raised. "Everyone okay? No one got bit or nothing?"

"I hit my head," the woman mumbled. "Are we all that's left...?"

"Looks like it," said Kahn. He was shaken. They all were, as far as Oz could tell.

"Everyone else is dead," said the security guard. He looked horrified. He hadn't lowered his gun even once since the Warbird crashed, and even now, he held it up, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Put that thing down, kid," Oz snapped. "Before you hurt someone."

"But what if more come?!" he demanded, his voice cracking on the word 'more'. "M-more could come at any moment, we've gotta be ready-"

"Decker," the woman said, gentle but firm. "Just put it down, okay? We're okay for now...I...think we got them all."

So his name was Decker, Oz thought. Looked like they were getting nice and friendly already.

"I-I think we're the only ones left," Kahn said slowly, holding his gun by his side. "We should go in and see if there are any survivors, shouldn't we?"

Considering this asshole was the head executor of research, he sounded bit of a sissy, Oz thought with amusement. He looked at the three of them, their dirt and blood-smeared faces scared and pale-looking, looking to one another for any sort of guidance they had to offer.

"Good idea. I vote we all go."

Oz began walking towards the main entrance without waiting for their reply, whistling an unknown tune to himself as he walked. He glanced behind him when nobody seemed to want to follow.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked.

"You don't seem bothered by this at all," the woman said slowly, giving him an uneasy stare. "Shouldn't we...get rid of the bodies first?" she asked. "Or-or at least wait and see if any help is coming?"

"No. I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but the odds of anymore help coming for us are slim to goddamn none. First, we look for survivors. And if you assholes won't come with me, I'm going in myself."

He began walking inside again, tapping his gun with his fingers. Surely enough, the three survivors came hurrying after him, guns in hand. Probably more afraid of being left outside on their own than anything else. Oz really couldn't blame them.

"Look, man, I don't know what your problem is-" Decker began.

"I don't _have_ a problem," Oz interjected. "I just don't feel like waiting around to get our asses eaten off by those things like everyone else. If you three want to wallow around in your fear and questions and what not, go right ahead. I'm just seeing this for what it is. We're screwed one way or another. Might as well see if any other sorry fucker is hidden away somewhere knows what's going on, or how we can get out of here, seeing as everything seems to be locked down.

Oz knew he was right, and was pleased to see that the others seemed to agree.

"Well, since you seem to know an awful lot about all _this,_ " the woman made a sweeping gesture with her hand, "Why don't you lead the way, then?"

"Will do, lady."

He began walking, resuming his whistling just as he had before without another word.

He wasn't going to lie to himself. He was just as scared as the rest of them. But he knew what this was- he had seen all of this on the bottom floors of the facility. The blood, the chemicals, the smells. Oz tried to keep from showing the painful bite wound on his hip quite yet. Didn't need them thinking he was going to go turn into one of those things on them. But it was hard to ignore-it burned with each step he took, and he was afraid of what would happen should it not heal.

They entered the main hub, dark and eerily quiet, aside from the four survivor's footsteps on the metal floor. They paused once they had stepped fully inside.

"Maybe we should split up," the Decker kid suggested. Oz gave him a piercing look.

"That is the best way to get ourselves killed. Or worse. We stick together. If you _want_ to be zombie chow, then be my guest."

"Zombie...?" he said quietly. "Is that what these things are?"

Before Oz could reply, the survivors nearly yelled out in surprise as the main hub was suddenly flooded with light.

"What in the world-?" the woman began.

"I got the lights on!" Kahn yelled from the other side of the room. They three turned to look at Oz, who seemed pleased that they would at least know where they were going. But his relief was short-lived. The main hub was a slaughterhouse. Bodies littered the ground, some torn apart, others still actively bleeding. Young and old alike laid dead together in a tangle of death and carnage. No one stood a chance against an enemy that wasn't human.

"Shit..." the woman murmured. Decker somehow grew even paler at the sight, and Kahn just looked tired. Oz shook his head.

"We keep moving. There's gotta be at least one sorry sap other than us who made it out alive. Let's go."

They began moving through the hallway marked "Administration A", cautiously stepping over the bodies as they went. Oz, not wanting to relive the horror of what he had seen in the B holding, wanted to avoid that place for as long as they could. After a moment or two of walking, the woman jogged up to where Oz was leading the way.

"Do you know what the hell is going on here?" she demanded quietly. Oz shook his head.

"Nope."

"Then why does this seem so _okay_ to you? If you know something, tell us. We're all confused and scared and have no idea what we're doing. If you know what's going on, maybe we can figure it out."

"Look. I saw things, okay? I've worked maintenance down in the cellars of Atlas since I quit the military. I saw something come out of the testing lab today before the shit hit the fan. This is _Atlas's_ doing. That's all I know."

The woman looked stunned. "You're saying Atlas did all this?" she whispered. Oz shook his head.

"I don't know. It may have just been one person. I don't know how it got so out of hand. Why don't you ask Mr. Head of Research back there? I'm sure he could tell you more than me."

"Okay. Thanks, I guess...I'm Lilth."

"Oz. What did you work?"

"IT. I was about to get a promotion to assistant-director. I was so excited. Guess that isn't gonna happen now, huh?"

"My guess would be no."

After another minute of walking, Kahn and Decker managed to flip the power on once they reached the back of Administration A, lighting up a strange, blueish room that Oz had never been in before.

"Looks like a morgue," Lilith murmured.

"A morgue!?" Decker demanded. "What the hell would Atlas have a morgue for?"

"The test subjects. If what Oz said is true, then maybe this is the place for the failed experiments," Kahn said quietly.

The four went silent.

"You're supposed to be the head of research," Lilith said, suspicion in her voice. "How did you not know about this?"

"They never told me anything," he said bitterly. "I...all I knew was that we were working on making humans stronger. More powerful. I handled the finances and budget planning for each sector of Atlas's human research testing and labs. I had no idea that...this would be the end result. I don't think _anyon_ e did."

All was quiet as they approached the steps that lead into the morgue. Suddenly, a woman's voice echoed throughout the holding, startling the four of them.

"Hello, and welcome to the morgue," the voice said cheerfully.

"What the hell was that?!" Decker demanded.

"Angie," Kahn answered with a grumble. "The technical program we instilled incase Atlas were to be shut down of all prior defense. She's kind of the last resort incase Atlas were to fall to shit. And, well...it did. She's very intelligent."

"The hell did you name her "Angie" for?" Oz asked.

"Wasn't my decision."

"Alrighty then. Hey Angie, why don't you tell us what the hell is going on?"

"Atlas is no longer in functional operation," she answered. "My name is Angie."

"Good to know," Oz grumbled. Are there any other survivors in the building?"

A pause, and then, "Personnel currently within Atlas include: Lilith Swann, IT. Oz Grange, maintenance. Kahn Lucker, Director of Research. Jim Decker, security operations."

"Anyone else?" Oz asked.

"There are no other personnel located within Atlas at this time."

They looked at one another in stunned silence.

"We're all that's left," Lilith murmured.

"My God," Kahn breathed. Oz was stunned. That couldn't be possible. There was no way that everybody else was dead.

"Guys..." Decker began quietly.

"How the _hell_ are we the only ones left?!" Lilith demanded.

"There are no other personnel located within Atlas at this time," Angie repeated.

"Guys-!"

"Look, we all need to calm down," Kahn insisted, looking between the three of them. "This doesn't mean we gotta panic."

"Angie, tell us how to get out of here!" Oz shouted.

"I am not authorized to give that information.

"Oh, go _fuck_ yourself!"

"I do not know how to do that."

" _Guys, we got company!"_ Decker shouted. They whirled around towards the stairs, suddenly aware of a shuffling, groaning sound from the floor above. They stood, guns at the ready, as the groaning turned to a loud shrieking. Coming right for them were six of the monsters, flesh decaying and reeking of rotted meat and vomit. For a moment, the survivors stood, stunned at the sight. In the early slaughter, they felt like they never had a chance to really get a good look at the monsters they had been facing. But now, in the quiet of the morgue, they could see them with startling clarity.

Decker was the first to shoot, dropping the first two with a full clip. As he went to reload, Kahn, Lilith, and Oz took out the rest, inhaling shakily once the job was done.

"Something tells me there's more where that came from," Lilith said. Oz silently agreed.

"Now would be a good time to reload," Oz murmured.

"The Atlas 3-D Printers can print out weaponry in a matter of seconds," Kahn said. "It was one of their new designs, first wired into the facility earlier this year. Now that the power's on, it seems, they should be up and working. If we can find them, we might be able to better arm ourselves."

"Way ahead of you," Decker said from the other side of the room. His fear seemed to have evaporated at the sight of the automatic weapons dealer, situated on the wall at the other side of the room.

"They never let security use these babies for weapons!" Decker exclaimed happily. "Wait, but why won't it let me specify which one I want? It just gave me another pistol!"

"I don't know," Kahn admitted.

"Angie, can't you give me a better gun?"

"Atlas is currently operating on an external power source. External power sources do not allow the user to specify which weapon he or she desires."

"As I said before, Angie, go fuck yourself," Oz commented dryly, feeling exasperated.

"I do not know how to do that."

"Shut up."

"Have a nice day."

Oz rolled his eyes. "Here. Let me try."

He activated the printer. A moment later, an S-12 appeared in his hand. Pleased, Oz held it up and looked down the sights.

"I like it..."

"That's no fair!" Decker insisted. He went to try the printer again, but Lilith gently pushed him aside.

"Ladies first, mister."

The printer gave her an AUG-27. She grinned.

"This'll take a bit of practice, huh?"

When Kahn tried it, the printer gave him a Bulldog shotgun. He was satisfied.

"You guys get all the cool shit," Decker complained. "Let me try it again."

He pressed the button to print himself a weapon, but it began to glitch out, vibrating beneath his fingertips as the lights on the printer went dark.

"You are not authorized to use the printer at this time," Angie said. Decker groaned.

"Better luck next time, kid," Oz said sympathetically. If he was going to be honest, he really didn't want to see what Decker was like around some big, fancy gun. The kid seemed a little too trigger-happy for Oz's comfort.

"Well, this makes me feel a little better," Kahn admitted. "I've always thought these were neat. Angie...is there any way we can get ourselves out of here?"

"Atlas is currently in emergency lock-down," she replied. "No one may exit or enter the facility."

"Great! Just fucking great!" Decker shouted. He threw his pistol onto the ground, his face red. "So now we're stuck here with a bunch of brain-munching fuckheads and a bitchy computer program who won't let us out of here! What the fuck are we supposed to do?!"

"Calm down, Decker," Lilith snapped. She placed a worried hand on his shoulder. Worry shone in her eyes, whether it be for them, for the boy, or both, Oz didn't know. He figured the two of them would be all buddy-buddy, since it looked like the kid had saved her life back there.

"Look," Oz said. "We're gonna find a way out of here. I don't care what Wire-Brain up there says. There's gotta be a way out. We'll find it."

"Can we call in another chopper?" Lilith asked. "Do you think the phone lines are still working?"

"All phone lines are currently down," Angie said.

"They wouldn't have called in the Warbird with the phones," Decker said. "That Warbird was called in on an emergency protocol. It requires for ID cards in the hands of their holders to be activated in the main deck all at once, and then for them to punch in the security code."

"He's right," Kahn murmured. "Warbirds are only called in for the most dire of emergencies. But the ID cards can't just be anybody's. They read your DNA. Meaning we can't just pick them off the bodies on the ground. And let me guess. None of you guys have yours on you, do you?"

They all shook their heads.

"Well I'd say this is a pretty dire emergency if you ask me," Oz said. "It's simple, then. We get our cards, call in the bird, and get the high hell outta here. Everyone in?"

There wasn't anything else that they could do. Looking between one another, they all nodded in agreement.

"I'm in," Decker said. "If I can get a better gun. There's gotta be more of those shitheads in here somewhere, right? I can't run around with a fucking pistol!"

"There should be other printers online throughout the facility," Kahn said. "We just have to look. Let's track down our keycards and keep our eyes open, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Lilith said. She gave Oz a wary look. "You in?"

"Oh, I'm in, baby," Oz said with a wide grin. "Let's get our asses outta here."


	3. A Team Divided

**Decker** agreed that the best decision was to split into two teams, even though Lilith was more hesitant to oblige. She believed that they had to stick together, or else risk getting themselves killed or eaten. But, as Decker had pointed out, they had " important shit to look for", and the quickest way to locate their missing key cards would, indeed, be to split up. After a brief discussion, Lilith went with Decker, and Kahn went with Oz. They agreed to meet back by the steps of the morgue in a half hour, or when they were able to find their cards.

Decker didn't say much. He was frightened, even if he was trying his hardest not to appear so in front of Lilith. His childish insistence of not appearing weak or scared in front of a girl still presided at the age of 24, even if it was a girl that he barely knew. It certainly didn't help that she kept sparing him uneasy glances as they made their way to their section of the building.

"You gonna be alright there?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine," he said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I just...I just need a decent weapon, okay? Where are those damn 3D-Printers at anyway?"

Decker watched as Lilith looked around as they made their way outside again, clearly trying to ignore the bodies that littered the ground as he was. It wasn't easy, and Decker felt his stomach roll with nausea as he stepped over the body of a young woman.

"There's probably another one up in IT. We'll be there soon, okay? Just gotta take it slow."

He nodded, keeping his grip on his pistol tight.

"So, security, huh?" she asked with a strained smile. "Guess you guys never had to deal with something as crazy as this..."

Decker forced a laugh and shrugged. "Yeah. Not really. The worst I ever saw was a guy who came into Atlas piss-face drunk. We never prepared for anything like this...I didn't know what to do."

 _And now everyone you know is dead._

He forced the thought aside.

"I can understand that," she murmured. "When I saw that sub-level six was breached...well...I didn't even know we _had_ a sub-level six. I just froze. I'm realizing now that Atlas kept more secrets from us than what I'd like to think about. And to think, all this time, we worked for them, thinking we had the best damn opportunity in the entire world."

Decker nodded uneasily. Lilith seemed so calm. He wondered how she did it.

"I don't even want to think about what Atlas did or why the hell they did it," he said. "I just want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Me too."

They walked for a few moments in silence. Climbing the stairs, they reached the top level of the Atlas facility that would take them to their main departments.

"Thank you, by the way," she added.

"For what?"

"For saving my ass down there when I was knocked out cold. You could've just saved yourself. Probably would have been the _smart_ thing to do."

She laughed, giving him a genuine smile.

"But I appreciate you looking out for me in my moment of damsel-in-distress."

"Oh, uh, yeah. No problem. Just doing my job."

They walked for another moment in silence. The top level of Atlas seemed to be calm, free of any of the monsters that had ravaged the building only a few hours before. The only noise came from their footsteps down the empty hall, aside from the occasional pile of mangled corpses that they tried to ignore. Lilith's department, the doors that lead to the IT portion of the building, finally came into view.

"You should stick with me until I find my badge," she said. "I don't think it'd be too smart to separate now. Everything seems quiet up here...but who knows where these sacks of shit could be hiding or milling around. I'm going to go try and find my badge at my desk. I _hope_ it's there. Can you stay here and make sure the hallway is clear?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Can we swap weapons, just for now? If I'm gonna be on look-out and all."

"Sure."

She handed him her heavier weapon in exchange for his pistol.

"I'll try to be quick. Yell if there's problems, okay?"

"Yeah, you too."

Lilith gave him an affirming nod, before running through the doors of the IT department, leaving Decker alone. He cautiously pushed the doors open and stood close to the entrance, looking around in dismay at the wreck the IT department had become. Desks were overturned, computers were destroyed, and mounds of documents and papers were scattered from wall to wall. Lilith cursed under her breath.

"It's gonna take me ages to find my ID. Shit… I'll be back soon, okay?"

Decker nodded. "Yeah. No problem."

He felt himself tense with anxiety as Lilith disappeared out of view, tossing papers and desks aside in a frantic search for her card. Everything had been torn to pieces, by both the walking corpses, and the people who had tried to defend themselves. The bodies slumped against the wall in a pool of drying blood did little to calm Decker's nerves.

 _Easy now, Decker. Don't get yourself worked up. Panicking won't do shit._

Almost as if in response to his panicked thoughts, the corpse closest to Decker began to move.

Trying to remain at least somewhat rational, Decker's first thought was that he must have been seeing things. He kept his eyes glued to the corpse in a stiff fighting stance, the faint sounds of Lilith tossing papers aside in a frantic search for her card the only thing he could hear. He had _sworn_ that corpse, the body of a middle-aged woman, her throat now torn out with blood matting her clothing, had stirred.

"How's it going back there?" he called out, eyeing the corpse uneasily. He turned to watch Lilith turn over a desk, sending another slurry of papers flying through the air.

" _Fine,_ " she grumbled, kicking a desk aside. "I don't know what happened to it...it's in this shit-hole mess of papers somewhere. Just keep an eye on the hallway, alright? I'll find it soon."

"Alright."

When he turned to take a look into the main hall, there was no mistaking it this time: the bloody corpse definitely moved. It opened it's eyes, bloodshot and unfocused, letting out an angry growl in Decker's direction. With a startled cry, Decker fired four shots into the creature's head, shocked. The thing ceased moving immediately.

"What was that?" Lilith asked a moment later. Clutched in her hand was her key card, much to Decker's relief.

"The corpse. It started to move. It was like those things that attacked us."

"Are you saying that whatever caused all _this_ can turn dead people into walking monsters?"

"I guess so," he murmured, watching the corpse for any sign of movement again. "It must be transmitted through the bites. Look. She was bitten in her throat."

Lilith stared. The thing remained still.

"Decker, the main hub is _full_ of dead bodies. They were all Atlas employees that were killed by those things."

"Oh my God."

For a moment, they looked at one another in fear.

"We need to get the hell out of here. Let's just get your key card and meet Oz and Kahn by the stairs down in the morgue. There should be another printer somewhere up here."

Decker nodded. "Let's go. We- we might not even need to call in the Warbird," he said as they hurried out into the hall and towards the security holding. "Somebody in the outside is bound to know hell was let loose in here. Help has _got_ to be on the way."

Lilith swallowed thickly. "There's no one coming, Decker."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know. I just...have a feeling."

Just down the hall, much to Decker's relief and delight, an active 3-D Printer glowed brightly, signifying it was in full working-order. He charged ahead of Lilith and turned it on, whooping in triumph as it spat out a fully-loaded BAL-37. The fear in his eyes evaporated immediately, and Lilith couldn't help but laugh at his glee.

"Hey, shut up over there," she warned. "We shouldn't make too much noise."

"Oh right!"

He aimed down the sights, pointing the gun down the hallway with a chuckle.

"Decker is ready to _go,_ " he murmured. "I'm gonna go look for my card. Luckily, I don't think security was destroyed too badly. Hopefully it'll be by my desk. Be right back!"

He charged into the security department before Lilith had a chance to respond, grinning from ear to ear as he shifted his way over to his desk. He had an awesome gun, and now he felt he could protect himself and his teammates (if that was what he was calling them now) without a problem. He barely knew these people.

The security department was relatively untouched, and dead, unmoving bodies littered the floor. Decker tensed and kept his gaze locked straight ahead, willing himself not to look into the eyes of his fellow dead security employees. His friends. Decker had been the only one who made it out alive.

Running straight to his desk, he threw open the drawer and grabbed his card, glancing uneasily at his desk. His psychological report, the one that deemed him unfit to be a full Atlas-soldier, seemed like a warning beacon. Decker grabbed the paper and shoved it into his back pocket, fearing the possibility of anyone finding it once they were gone. His greatest shame had been that piece of paper, and he didn't want anyone finding it, no matter how unlikely the possibility might have been.

Just as he was making sure it was out of sight, Lilith entered the department, looking around with her gun at her hip.

"Everything okay?" she asked. Decker nodded. If she saw the paper, she didn't ask.

"Yeah. All's good. We should hurry back before any of those bozos show up again."

"Good idea."

 _Oz and Kahn are okay. We're okay. We've got our cards, and we just gotta meet up with Oz and Kahn. Everything will be fine. Keep your shit together, Decker._

"We need better gear," Lilith muttered as they began making their way down the hall. She gave Decker an uneasy glance.

"I mean, we're gonna get out of here. But just in case it...y'know. Takes a while. We should try and find something, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah...yeah, yeah! Atlas never skimps on gear. They've got the best of the best shit in, like, the entire _world._ We just gotta find it."

"I say we do that before we meet up with Decker and Kahn. Whatever we find, we can always bring back to them, right?"

Decker nodded. "Yeah. Good idea. I think I know where we can find some good stuff...damn, but only the high-ranking officers could get in there. I don't know if we'd be able to get through."

He thought for a moment.

"Hey Angie! Can you, uh, unlock all the doors for us?"

"Decker," Lilith began, "I don't think that's going to-"

No sooner had Lilith spoke that they heard a series of loud _click!_ s echo throughout the facility, causing the two of them to jump in surprise.

"All doors have been unlocked," she announced.

"Whoo!" Decker whooped. "See that? Never underestimate the Deckster."

Lilith rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself.

"Nice. Lead the way, Rambo. And be _quiet_ would you? I'd really appreciate living long enough to _actually_ _get on the Warbird_."

"Sorry!"

Lilith just rolled her eyes as Decker clamped his mouth shut.

"So where is this place anyway?"

"It should be right back through the Main Hub. Apparently this place is _loaded._ But we were never allowed in. Apparently it was only for emergencies, and...well..."

He trailed off.

"Anyway, it has some of Atlas's best stuff in it. I'm talking like, really cool shit. Trust me."

Their walk back through the Main Hub was almost met without trouble. The bodies that littered the ground remained lifeless and inanimate, much to their relief. It wasn't until they went through one of the main doorways that they were met with trouble.

Six zombies, stumbling aimlessly up and down the corridor, all turned their heads in a chilling unison the minute Decker and Lilith stepped through the doors. Freezing where they stood, they barely had time to raise their weapons before the monsters came stumbling in their direction, arms outstretched, reeking of rotten flesh and oozing decay as their mouths hung open in angry screams.

Lilith was the first to fire, and Decker quickly followed suite until all but one dropped. The last one, one equipped with an odd-looking metal external-skeleton, lunged itself with terrifying speed at Lilith's throat. She barely had time to pull the knife from her belt, and if she had been just a second later, it would have torn her throat right open.

She plunged the blade into the thing's head and shoved the body away from her with all the strength she could bring forth, sending it toppling to the ground, still aside from the blood that began pouring out of the puncture in it's skull. Panting, she glanced at Decker, who seemed relatively unharmed.

For a moment, they were both quiet.

"That was kind awesome," Decker mumbled, looking sheepish.

Lilith swallowed.

"Yeah. I guess it was."

They continued walking in silence, stepping over the bodies in their paths as they made their way to the room Decker seemed to have so much faith in. They hurried up a small flight of steps, their senses on high-alert for any sign of the undead monsters that seemed intent on eating them alive.

Luckily, there weren't any more to be found.

"Alright. This _should_ be unlocked," Decker murmured as they reached the door labeled "Exo Testing". He tried the handle. Much to Lilith's relief, it worked.

The door opened to a high ledge overlooking a spacious room, dark aside from the glowing powerbox beside the wall. To their left, another set of stairs lead them down into the room. Deker went straight to the powerbox and pulled the lever without a moment's hesitation, instantly flooding the room with light.

Lilith was mildly disappointed. The room really didn't have much to offer. Several computers lined the walls, as well as several other doors locked with a chain and a padlock, unlike the electrical locks that held the rest of the doors in the Atlas facility. In the center of the room, a large dock that held four of the strange metal external-skeletons that she had seen on one of the zombies in the hallway stood on display. Or at least, that's what it looked like. Lilith had been expecting to see a room full of weapons and explosives.

"Decker...are you sure this is the right room?" she asked. Decker, awe-struck at the dock of the strange metal contraptions, nodded.

"These are the exo-suits they were talking about," Decker whispered in amazement. "I didn't think...I didn't think they were ever completed! Holy shit!"

Decker ran over to the dock before Lilith had time to ask him what the hell an exo-suit did. She _had_ head of them before, as some kind of new weapon Atlas had been developing over the last year. But Atlas developing weapons had never really been news to her.

Decker stood inside one of the metal suits and extended his arms. Almost immediately, the suit seemed to come to live, wrapping itself around Decker's body. The metal felt warm against his skin, even through his blood-stained security outfit. Taking a few careful steps, he stepped away from the dock and jumped into the air... _fifteen feet_ into the air.

Lilith stared. She had heard about these thing around IT, but she never imagined they'd work so well.

" _Did you see that?!_ That was fucking _awesome!"_ Decker exclaimed.

" _That_ was cool," she admitted. "Honestly, I didn't think these things would work so well."

Decker took a few more leaps around the room, clearly pleased. When he landed in front of her again, he threw a few punches into the air.

"It enhances strength and agility. You'll be able to take one of those shitheads out with one crack to the skull with these babies."

Eager to try it for herself, Lilith stepped onto the dock and extended her arms in front of one of the three remaining Exo suits. Just as it had with Decker, the metal wrapped itself around her arms and up her back, leaving her feeling lighter on her feet. She jumped straight up, launching herself into the air with a startled yelp.

" _Holy-_ Decker! I'm flying!"

"I know right?! These things are so cool! Oh _shit-_!"

Just as Decker touched down once again, he saw at least seven or eight zombies dragging themselves down the stairs of the Exo-testing room, groaning and hissing, clearly attracted by the noise their suits made when they were activated.

"We got company!"

Lilith whirled around, glancing at Decker as they advanced towards them.

"One punch to the skull?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah! Just follow my lead."

Despite his fear, Decker charged forward and swung his arm in a vicious uppercut to the closest zombie's skull, sending it flying across the room and landing in a crumpled, unmoving heap. As soon as it was taken care of, Lilith was on her feet, swinging her fists at the approaching swarm, taking out four at a time as Decker dropped the rest with a satisfied grunt. In nearly half the time that it had taken with their guns, the zombies were taken care of, and Lilith and Decker were once more alone in the Exo-testing lab.

" _That_ was awesome," Lilith breathed, panting as she worked to catch her breath.

"Yeah," Decker agreed with a grin. "It was."

"We should find Oz and Kahn. Tell them about this before the Warbird comes just incase we run into any more trouble."

"Sounds good," he agreed.

With affirmative nods, the two loaded their guns with fresh clips and made their way out of the testing lab, using their suits instead of the stairs. They were easy to get used to, and Decker only fell on his face once, causing Lilith to burst into laughter as they hurried to find the remaining members of their team.


	4. Out of Time

**Kahn** couldn't count the number of bodies he had kicked aside as he and Oz made their way to their side of the of the building. Women and men, young and old alike, all victims of Atlas's doing. Every time he stepped over a body, he couldn't help but wonder if he had known them. What department they worked for. If they had a family. It wasn't so much sadness he felt, as it was a twisted feeling in his gut that any moment he could easily be next.

 _How did I not know about this?_

Oz didn't seem bothered at all. He was walking several paces ahead of Kahn, whistling some show tune that was getting on Kahn's nerves after the first five minutes.

"The extra noise could attract more of them, you know," he muttered. Oz shot him a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

They continued their walk in silence. The only sounds were their footsteps, echoing off the empty halls of the Atlas facility, save for the dead, bloody corpses of their former coworkers.

"You know," Oz began, not turning to look at Kahn as he spoke, "I just think it's funny."

"What the hell is funny about all of this?"

"I think it's funny," Oz continued, "That when Atlas dropped the bomb, they... _hoped_ it would finish the war. And instead, it unleashed a massive freakshow like no one's ever seen. _Atlas._ The corporation that would change the world. That little "A" symbol that meant hope and bright, happy futures for all. And now look at us. They've fuckin' slaughtered us."

"We're still alive," Kah said slowly, his voice wavering. "That's all that matters. They haven't killed us yet."

"Is that so, Mr. Head of Research?"

"Yeah. We're gonna get the hell out of here and stay at a base until this all blows over. I don't know, okay? I'm scared, Oz. We all are. Even if you like to pretend that you're not, none of us are that stupid."

"Whoever said I was trying to play hero, big guy? I'm fuckin' _terrified._ I don't know what's gonna happen from here on out. All's I know is that we gotta find our goddamn keycards and _get out._ "

Oz still made Kahn uneasy. There was something not quite right with this guy, even if Kahn was too scared to figure out what it could be.

"Yeah I know. Look, where would your keycard be? We should nab yours first since mine's on the very top floor."

Oz went silent for a long moment, gritting his teeth as he realized what this would ultimately mean.

"I remembering dropping my keycard when I was attacked. I...I saw some serious shit down there. Something told me I had to have my card incase something happened. But I dropped it. I think I know where it is, but I really fucking don't want to go back in there."

"Where is it?" Kahn asked.

Oz stopped just as they reached the main hub, pointing across the floor to a locked door marked 'B Holding'. Kahn noticed that he seemed to shiver at the sight of it, his body stiff and unmoving as Kahn pushed past him to get a better look.

"That's the backup storage holding," he said.

"Ha. No, it isn't. That's the entrance to sub-level six, my friend."

"You're insane."

"You think so?"

They stood in silence for a moment. Kahn could only hear the sound of his own breathing as his face grew hot with anger and fear.

"We don't _have_ a sub-level six!" he snapped. " _I_ would have known about it! That is the most ridiculous shit I've ever heard!" He was aware his voice was cracking, but he kept going.

"How- how would _you_ have known about something like this?! Sub-level six doesn't exist. It's a rumor. A _joke_ among high-ranking Atlas employees. You're just the cleaning staff. You dont' know anything!"

Oz scowled, suddenly growing angry.

"Listen here. If the possibility of Atlas _lying_ to you is the most ridiculous shit you've heard all day, then you _really_ need to rethink a couple of things. _There are dead people coming alive and trying to kill us._ They _slaughtered_ the entire facility. You are nothing. Nothing to these freakbags, and nothing to the corporates who I'd bet a whole shitload of cash are watching us as we speak. Now, I don't know about you, but _I want to go home._ So shut up, listen up, and let's get inside that fucking holding so that I can get my card, and we can fly our little asses home."

Kahn gritted his teeth and gave Oz a scowl.

"Fine...let's just- let's just get this over with, okay? I want to go home too."

"That's what I thought."

They crossed the short distance of Atlas's Main Hub, approaching B Holding only to find that the doors were locked. Oz groaned.

"Are you fucking kidding me? These were open when hell broke out this morning. Not surprised these things would have automatic locks, if Atlas really was so concerned about keeping their dirty little secret safe."

Oz kicked the door, sighing in frustration.

"Any ideas on how to get this thing open?" he asked irritably. Kahn shook his head.

"Fantastic. Let's get your card first, then. We'll figure something out."

"Yeah, um...it's on the top floor."

"After you, then."

Kahn lead the way, stepping over piles of dead bodies as they moved into A holding, taking the opposite direction that Lilith and Decker had taken on their journey up to the security portion of the building. Being nearly certain that the elevators wouldn't work now that Atlas was on lock-down, Kahn didn't even bother trying. And anyway, upon giving the elevator an uneasy glance, he found that it was stuffed full of corpses.

"Jeez," Kahn muttered. "I don't even think I've been to the bottom floors of Atlas for more than a few minutes at a time. They usually keep research upstairs."

Oz nodded. "Doesn't surprise me, I guess. Keep all the high-rankers away from all the suspicious crap. Keep 'em in the dark for as long as they can."

Kahn didn't say anything. There wasn't anything left _to_ say. As they ascended the staircase, Oz kicked several bodies aside with a disgusted grunt. They had barely made it past the first flight of stairs, when Kahn let out a terrified yell.

"What?!" Oz demanded.

"That corpse. That corpse just moved."

Laying face-down was the body of a young woman, a pool of drying blood covering the stairs where she laid. Oz and Kahn stared at her, until, surely enough, her fingers twitched. Kahn could hear Oz swallow.

"Hey. Hey are you alive?" Oz whispered.

A raspy growl emitted from her throat as she began to push herself up to her feet. Frozen, she stared directly at Kahn, her teeth bared in an angry snarl. He swore her eyes _glowed_ in the darkness of the staircase.

Without another word, Oz's hand flew to his belt and grabbed the knife tucked safely inside. With a short cry, he plunged the blade into the woman's skull and yanked it out swiftly, a stream of blood missing his face by inches as she collapsed and thumped down the steps and onto the landing.

"Oh goddammit..." Kahn murmured. "Oz, she was dead. _She was dead just a second ago._ "

Oz just shook his head. "We keep moving. Let's go."

It took them several minutes of huffing and puffing up the long stairwell before they reached the research floor. Kahn pointed to the end of the hall, telling Oz his office was at the very end and to the right. Fewer corpses seemed to litter the halls of the upper floors, although there were certainly enough keep the two men feeling uneasy, like they were being watched by the eyes of the dead that stared into nothingness around them.

"I'll keep watch," Oz said. "Get your card and hurry."

Luckily, Kahn's office wasn't as destroyed as he had feared. Papers were strewn everywhere, and the phone hung off the line just as he had left it earlier that morning when he had called in the warbird in an emergency evacuation. Hesitantly, he picked the phone up and tried to dial the emergency line. It was dead.

With a heavy sigh, Kahn tossed it aside and yanked open his desk drawer, containing his keys, several confidential documents that hardly mattered anymore, and his keycard. Easy enough, he figured as he quickly shoved it into his pocket. Maybe they would be alright afterall. Getting Oz's card would be a whole different ordeal, though.

His head was swimming after the incident on the stairwell, only further adding to his confusion and fear. If these things could come back from the dead, what would they find when they returned downstairs where there were hundreds of them scattered about the Main Hub? He wondered if the IT girl and Decker had seen anything like this. If they didn't make it out alive, he and Oz were doomed.

 _What did you see down there in sub-level six, Oz? What were they doing down there that they wouldn't even tell me?_

He was beginning to wonder if his position as head of research was as important as he once thought. He wanted to ask Oz what he had seen. But Kahn knew that those answers were things he was perhaps better off not knowing.

He'd let Oz take that to the grave with him.

"All doors have been unlocked," Angie announced a moment later. Kahn glanced up. Well, if "all doors" meant B Holding as well, they were in luck. He had never thought to ask Angie to unlock the doors. Maybe it had been Decker and Lilith that had done it.

"Got my card," Kahn said once he came back out into the hallway, startled to find it empty. Oz was gone.

"Oz?" he called out. "I got my card..."

"I'm in here," a voice replied from several doors down.

Kahn stepped over the bodies of several men in uniforms and peered into the open doorway, a grimace crossing his face when he saw where Oz was. The tiny room, only really meant for two people at a time, was the security command center. Typically, the door remained locked at all times, only accessible with a keycard and fingerprint scan. The floor was slick with blood. It looked like somebody had dragged themselves out of the room only a few hours ago.

"We should get going," Kahn said uneasily. The blinking lights were still active, Atlas's backup power giving the room full accessibility.

"What does all this shit do?" Oz asked.

"It's emergency security for emergencies within the building. Nothing in here can help us with...whatever all this is."

Oz frowned. "But the emergency _is_ happening inside the building."

"I mean it's for things such as dangerous spillage, or something that would involve contact with infected material. Or massive security breach."

Oz turned his back to Kahn, murmuring something incoherent to himself. Kahn couldn't see what he was doing, but it appeared that he was fiddling with some of the controls.

"I wouldn't touch anything on there if I were-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud beeping came from the control panel in front of Oz. Oz took a step back, glancing at Kahn as the beeping grew louder. On the dashboard, a red light began to flash.

They heard Angie's voice next, loud and clear as day;

"Attention: Kennels are open."

"'Kennels?'" Oz repeated, scowling up at the ceiling. "Fuck you. I hate dogs..."

"Oz, what the hell did you do?!" Kahn demanded.

"I pushed the red button."

" _What?!"_

"I pushed the red button! I thought you said Atlas didn't even have power?"

" _It's still running on auxiliary power,"_ Kahn hissed, fear rising in his voice.

"Okay? So what?"

"So what?!" he demanded. "You just activated Security Code 2, _that's_ what! _You released the security dogs on the only four living people in this building._ "

 **()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

 **Lilith** was the one who suggested they take a break from the exo-suits, despite how much fun she and Decker were having as they waited for Kahn and Oz to meet them at the rendezvous point. They must have killed at least twenty zombies with their exo-suits alone, riding the high of adrenaline and giddiness that came with being able to jump ten feet into the air. Both she and Decker weren't sure if the suits ran on gasoline or some kind of expendable resource. If so, they'd have to save them for when they really needed them. She found that Decker had grown quite handy with his suit. He didn't fall on his face anymore (which, if she were to be honest, she found very cute and very funny), and the both of them had become very skilled at combating the undead with their bare hands.

"Think they'll be back soon?" Decker asked as they sat together on the staircase that would lead up into the morgue. Lilith sighed, looking around the blueish room. Her clothes were splattered with blood, luckily none of it being Decker's or her own.

"I hope so," she murmured. "It's a long way up to Kahn's department. They're probably on their way back now."

"Man, I really hope so...without them, we're screwed."

"I know."

They sat in silence for a moment, as Decker fiddled with his gun. Just as Lilith was about to suggest they go and look for the older pair, Angie's voice rang out in the empty morgue.

"Attention: Kennels are open."

"Decker? What does she mean by that?"

Ddecker's face went pale. He jumped to his feet, gripping his gun tightly in his hands as Lilith stood at the foot of the stairs.

"Decker?"

"Shit...she means the security dogs," he whispered.

"The _what?!_ "

As if on cue, a mournful howl echoed through the quiet morgue, sending goosebumps flying up Lilith's arms. She barely had time to pick up her weapon before a wild bloodhound launched itself into the doorway of the morgue, charging right for Lilith who managed to shoot it down just as it went for her throat. Whirling around, she saw Decker trying to fight off two at once, punching one through the skull, and kicking another to the floor. Lilith fired several rounds into its head, making sure it went completely still. The dogs were bone-thin, undernourished, with some of the biggest teeth Lilith had ever seen. There was _no way_ they were naturally bred. Who knew what kind of experiments Atlas had performed to make them fit for slaughter?

There were more. With an angry cry, Lilith delivered a strong uppercut to one of the advancing dogs. Faintly, she noticed that Oz and Decker had joined them in the morgue on the opposite side, fighting off their own horde of the ravenous dogs. Oz let out a yell as a dog howled in pain, and Kahn nearly collapsed when one jumped on his chest, which Decker took down with a neat shot to it's ribcage.

The entire ordeal took a little over five minutes. When the fight was over, the four of them collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as corpses of the bloodhounds joined those of the fallen Atlas employees.

The fallen Atlas employees, that, very slowly, had begun to move.

"What happened?!" Lilith gasped, looking between Oz and Kahn for an answer. Kahn looked furious.

" _This_ idiot activated the security," Kahn growled, giving Oz a dirty look.

"I didn't know, okay?! You just said that room was for emergencies!"

" _That doesn't mean you had to go pushing buttons!_ "

Lilith groaned and began to climb to her feet, glaring angrily between Oz and Kahn.

"Well now we know," she snapped. "Let's not push any goddamn buttons. Did you get your keycards?"

"I got mine," Kahn said, pulling his out of his pocket to show her. Liilith nodded.

"What about you, Oz?"

"The door was locked. But it seems like all the doors are open now. We have to head out into the Main Hub. Mine is in the entrance to sub-level six, which is just fuckin' fantastic if you ask me."

"Sub-level six? Atlas only goes down to sub-level five," Decker said, rubbing his head.

"Keep telling yourself that, kid," Oz said. "Just trust me on this one, okay? I think know where I dropped it. Let's just go so we can get out of here."

It was a collective agreement. If anyone disagreed, they were too tired to point it out, Kahn figured. They checked one another for bite wounds, thankfully finding that they had escaped the attack unscathed aside from a few scratches. Kahn allowed Oz to lead the way once they had reloaded their weapons as they made their way out of the morgue and towards the entrance to the Main Hub. As they approached the doors, it was Kahn who stopped them, a feeling of dread sinking low into his stomach.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered.

"Hear what?" Decker asked.

Kahn stood very still. For several moments, none of them spoke as they stopped to listen for the noise.

Groaning, scratching noises seemed to be coming from the other side of the doors, silent cries of despair and hopelessness. It seemed to be coming from _everywhere_ , and as they drew closer to the doors, the sound only grew louder with each passing second.

It was Oz that made a move to look out the window.

"They're alive," he murmured. "Every single one of them."

Kahn pushed past him to look, an involuntary gasp escaping his throat at the sight. The Main Hub, once littered with corpses of men and women alike, was now crawling with those _things_ , their jaws hanging open as they dragged themselves aimlessly around the hub.

"Oh my God..." he whispered. Lilith and Decker looked at one another in fear.

"What the hell are we going to do?!" Kahn demanded, not daring to speak above a whisper.

"We find another way into B Holding," Lilith said.

"And what if there isn't another way?"

The four looked at one another. Oz narrowed his eyes as a loud screech from the undead echoed throughout the facility from the hub.

"Then we fight," Oz said after a moment. "Should be easy enough, right?"

 **A/N: Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed and followed/favorited this story so far. I appreciate every single one of them!**

 **I'd like to give a special thanks to darksawr, my beta-reader and my partner in crime in helping me with ideas and the more technical details of the story. He's been a massive help and very patient with me even with all the slow updates.**


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